What If You Spoil a High School Girl Who Looks Like a Landmine? - Volume 1 Chapter 4.1

Fight a monster with a monster 1

“Is it homework?”

“Yes… Is it inconvenient for me to study here?”

“Not at all. We have many customers who do that. Please take your time.”

Chifuji-san, who came to take my order, said in his usual kind voice and then walked back to the counter.

I can be patient. I just want to talk a little more, but I’ll do it later.

…No, that’s not it. I’m here because I couldn’t be patient.

Today is only Wednesday.

But I couldn’t wait until the next Sunday to see him, so I went to the café where he works after school on a weekday.

By the way, this is the first time I’ve shown my school uniform to Chifuji-san… I wonder what he thought about it?

Which does he prefer? Jirai-kei (Landmine type) fashion or this? Is my hairstyle weird?

…This whole time, the homework I used as an excuse hasn’t made any progress at all. The pen in my right hand hasn’t written a single character.

“…..”

…I like him.

There’s no misunderstanding or deception; it’s an unmistakable feeling.

But there were other things that were clear as well.

“Senpai, look! I’ve gotten so good at stacking plates!”

“Wow, that’s impressive… But let’s do it later for when there are no customers.”

“Okay~!”

“…..”

My left-hand reaches up to my chest area and grabs the collar of my shirt. It makes a creaking sound.

I am jealous. I found out for the first time when I fell in love that I can ‘feel’ jealousy.

I can’t remember ever being jealous of anyone in my life up until now, but the moment I fell in love, this happened.

I don’t know how this jealousy compares to others, but I was aware of its intensity.

“Right, I’ve also gotten a bit better at making coffee. Please try some later!”

“Really? I’m looking forward to it. Did the manager teach you?”

“Yes! Actually, I’ve been getting lessons quite frequently. Hehehe, I might have surpassed you already, Senpai.”

At the edge of the shop, Chifuji-san is typing something into his laptop.

Talking to him is a girl who works here with him.

She has a friendly atmosphere about her and is quite cute.

She met Chifuji-san before I did, has spent more time with him than I have, and now, she is definitely closer to him than I am.

“I’ll be out soon, I don’t have the talent for that.”

“Ah~? If you say that, then where does that leave me, who loves your coffee? Come to think of it, I feel like you haven’t brewed any for me recently.”

The manager of this cafe is the type who often chats with customers.

Perhaps because of that, Chifuji-san and the others also talk with customers in the same way, and the employees often strike up conversations among themselves in that same atmosphere.

(The fact that the serious Chifuji-san talks while working probably means the manager likes creating that kind of environment).

Of course, the two of them weren’t speaking loudly, but my keen ears strangely could pick up their conversation.

Whether this is fortunate or unfortunate, I’m not sure.

“I wonder if I’ve ever brewed for you before. I’ve decided to offer it only to my hard-working colleagues.”

“Oh, how could you say that to a devoted junior like me!”

… His tone is completely different when talking to me.

I don’t recall him ever making such playful, teasing remarks to me.

“…..”

I can feel the force in my hand, enough to stretch the fabric of my shirt.

I feel like an idiot. I came to the shop on my own and am now jealously eavesdropping.

“Is it a difficult task? You look very upset.”

“Sigh… uh, what?”

The sigh I was about to let out is swallowed hard by the surprise of being suddenly spoken to.

Well, saying I was ‘suddenly spoken to’ might be an exaggeration.

“Sorry for the wait, here’s the iced coffee you ordered…”

“Thank you…”

That person, the manager, brought the item I ordered.

“No-no, I came here to say thank you.”

“Yes?”

“You took care of him the other day, didn’t you?”

(TN: When he’s sick)

The manager speaks in a hushed voice, probably so Chifuji-san won’t hear us.

“Ah… no, it was more like I insisted on going with him.”

“I appreciate that. That guy, he never relies on others on his own initiative. He hardly ever comes to me saying ‘This or that is troublesome’ “

‘I wish he’d rely on others a little more. ‘

The manager says with a wry smile.

“It’s the complexity of men. If he says, ‘I’ll speak up when I really need help,’ it’s a bit hard for me to intervene too much.”

“Is that how it is…?”

“That’s just how it is. It’s the annoying part of being a man. That day too, I happened to go to his house for a different matter in the evening and found him bedridden. It surprised me. He should’ve said something to me, but he didn’t.”

The manager sighs and goes, ‘Ah, yes’ as if remembering something.

“Thank you for preparing the stored food as well.”

“Oh, it wasn’t much…”

That day, with Chifuji-san’s permission, I used some ingredients and prepared some stored food after making porridge.

I thought it would be good for him to have some food for the next day, whether he got better quickly or not.

“No, no, for a high school student to prepare so many things is amazing, you didn’t even have enough ingredients. You really helped him out, thank you.”

“N-no, to begin with, I’m the one who’s been taken care of by Chifuji-san a lot.”

“Hahaha, that’s true. He has been working part-time so much that he hasn’t really hung out like a typical high schooler. This is a good opportunity for him.”

The manager smiles warmly, thinking about his nephew.

I inadvertently stare intently at his face.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no, I’m sorry… it’s just… you and Chifuji-san, you look alike.”

There’s something common in their expressions.

Especially when their expressions soften, it’s very obvious.

“…Hahahaha! Well-well, I see, hahaha.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said something weird!”

“No-no, it’s fine. …Haha, I’ve been looked at by women many times in my life, but this might be the first time someone mentioned another man’s name.”

“I’m really sorry…”

“It’s fine …I see, Raihara-san is really… yeah, my judgment isn’t clouded after all.”

“…?”

Then the manager nods as if he was convinced about something.

What is he talking about?